On the plateau of the City Library, we watch the winner of the Mediterranean Film Festival, the drama 'Sundays', with the domestic premiere of a short film by Sonja Tarokić and a conversation with the director.
Zadar's audience can enjoy a double film program tonight that combines domestic and Spanish production. The organizers from Kino Zona have prepared a screening of the short film "Wind at Your Back" by director Sonja Tarokić on the plateau next to the Zadar City Library, followed by the Spanish drama "Sundays" (Los domingos) by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, which triumphed this year at the Mediterranean Film Festival in Split.
The evening opens with the short film "Wind at Your Back," whose Croatian premiere took place at the 19th edition of the Split Mediterranean Film Festival. The plot revolves around former spouses Anica and Vlatko, both in their sixties, who have been deeply marked by life's hardships, illness, and loneliness. Anica reluctantly undergoes chemotherapy and perceives her daughter's care as an infringement on her dignity. Vlatko, on the other hand, is an alcoholic and a loner who has been practically crossed out by his colleagues.
Although they parted with mutual contempt and haven't exchanged a word in years, both are searching for someone who will understand their cry for life. From this seemingly insurmountable distance, an unexpected alliance slowly emerges. After the screening, viewers will have the opportunity to talk with Sonja Tarokić, the director of the acclaimed "The Teacher," who in this work also deals with family intimacy, the aging process, and the longing for freedom.
Around 9:30 PM, "Sundays" takes the stage, a drama adorned with as many as five Goya Awards, including those for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The film also won the Golden Shell for Best Film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and was subsequently crowned Best Film at the 19th Mediterranean Film Festival in Split.
The protagonist is 17-year-old honor student Ainara, who faces a crucial decision about her further education. While her family expects the standard path toward university, she is increasingly drawn to the contemplative life of a nun. Her intention to spend some time among cloistered sisters causes a real family upheaval. Her aunt Maite, an educated and highly secular woman, offers the fiercest resistance, perceiving Ainara's choice almost as a catastrophe, while her father begins to question whether it was he who, by sending his daughter to a Catholic boarding school, unconsciously influenced her path.
Director Ruiz de Azúa skillfully avoids a black-and-white division between religious and non-religious. Ainara is not portrayed as a naive girl, nor are her family members reduced to caricatures. The conflict gradually transforms into a question of freedom and the limits of tolerance toward others' life choices, especially when they are diametrically opposed to our own expectations.
Seats can be reserved via the inbox of Kino Zona's profile on Facebook and Instagram, by sending an email to [email protected], or by SMS and WhatsApp message to 099/7208342. The Kino Zona program is financially supported by the City of Zadar, Zadar County, the Kultura Nova Foundation, and the Croatian Audiovisual Centre.
